To me this generation feels like an unfulfilled promise. It feels like a half step in definition and I want a console which can truely own full HD resolutions without compromising gameplay. None of the systems out there today can do full HD acceptably without compromising core gameplay or visual fidelity and usually both. In addition to this im a big fan of 3D and I feel we need a first real but hesitant step towards that goal as next generation interfaces feel incomplete without it.

As to whether or not they can do it depends on whether AMD, especially the ATI portion of the company can spare the resources to work on an improved graphics engine as much as it depends on whether it fits into Microsofts plans/goals. I cannot personally reconcile the idea that Natal will be released in 2010 and a new console will be released before late 2013 and yet that doesn't fit within their MO of being first into the breach so to speak.

totally.. the 360 is a pretty bareboned packaged.. no wifi, no HDD in the arcade, expensive addons.. u get the drift.. I dont think people would be willing to make the shift to an entirely new SKU at this point. And lets not even talk about how displeased Rrod owners are.. I wouldnt wanna get anything new from MS at this point unless its version 2.0

Comprehensive study you have there.  Seems like they are pretty pleased to me, gobbling up new games left and right.  But that would be me just making a baseless claim.  Or perhaps my claim has at least a little bit of base to it?

Your thread is interesting but schizophrenic, Squilliam. You say that Natal is iterative instead of revolutionary, but you say it'll be the 360's Wii when the Wii was very revolutionary. (Insert clever joke on the system's codename.)

Unless you believe it's not revolutionary because it's traveling ground the Wii broke already...?

The Wii was there first both from the perspective of updating older hardware architectures and releasing an innovative control scheme as the mainstay of the console. Its an interesting example and its taught the industry many lessons, since Microsoft is a copy cat killer and they copied the PS2 with the Xbox 360, they ought to copy the Wii for the Xbox next.

Copied the PS2 with the 360? I don't get it.

The rest of your post makes sense but implies that the Natal motion control is intended to be the primary control method, which I don't believe will happen. Of course, what MS intends to happen isn't necessarily what will happen.

PS2 = cheap performance orientated architecture with a basic feature set but very powerful for the price but sacrafices reliability and was released early to market.

Natal is intended to be one of the primary control methods, if its to be packaged with every console then it has to be looked upon as such. Whether or not it succeeds doesn't stop it from being labeled as such.

I think this strategy supports Microsofts business model of subscription fees, which with their ~20 million paying subscribers and content downloads must be nearing 1 billion in revenue annually now??

They won't be in a hurry to make the 360 obsolete and then attempt to win back those subscribers.

360 10 year plan confirmed?

I wrote this 1 year ago and everyone called me an idiot.

http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=49440&page=1

Slightly different perspective, but same concept.

Forward compatible, small increase

I guess the difference is that we now have more viable reasons for them to release updated hardware between advances in TV technology to 3D and new controllers as well as the general aging of the console 'fleet', so to speak.